404 Mr. A. L. Butler on Birds observed 
71. Ammoperdix cholmleyi Grant. 
a. $ . Khor Arbat, 2. 5. 08. 
b. <$. „ 2.5.08. 
These little Bock-Partridges were tolerably common in 
the hills through which the Khor Arbat runs. They came 
down to the water at mid-day, and, after drinking, spent the 
heat of the day under bushes and creepers along the edge of 
the stream. 
Francolinus erckeli (Rupp.) was not seen, and does not, 
I think, extend north of Erkowit. 
72. Pterocles exustus (Temm.). 
Common round Port Sudan, but I did not see large 
numbers together. 
73. Pterocles lichtensteini Temm. 
a. <$ . Khor Arbat, 16. 5. 08. 
These beautiful Sand-Grouse were fairly plentiful in the 
Khor Arbat and at Jebel Bawati. I saw little of them in 
the daytime, beyond flushing a few occasionally among the 
rocks, but every night small parties of them came flying 
down to the khor to drink, until considerable numbers were 
collected along the stream. They did not arrive at the 
water until dusk was merging into darkness, but continued 
to come until after 8 p.m. Indeed, it was most difficult 
to see to shoot even the earlier birds, as they flew low, and 
the high hills shutting in the khor prevented me from 
getting them straight against the sky-line. The call of 
this species is a sharp, clear double whistle, like <f quittoo ! 
quittoo repeated two or three times, and by 8 o'clock 
this, and an occasional rattle of wings, sounded on all sides, 
long after the birds themselves had become invisible. 
The crop of the male skinned was full of the seeds of an 
acacia. I have also seen Lichtenstein's Sand-Grouse among 
the hills between Suakin and Kassala, and near the Shab- 
luka Cataract, fifty miles north of Khartoum, but only 
among rocky hills. 
M 
